ANTI-GOTH 455

For more than two decades, Loits has been producing some of the most meticulously crafted and unique black metal. Hailing from the tiny nation of Estonia in northeastern Europe, Loits draw upon the history of their proud people for inspiration, particularly the Estonian underground guerilla resistance movement—often referred to as “the Forest Brothers”—that struggled against Soviet occupation during and after WWII. With its 2001 debut full-length, “Ei kahetse midagi,” Loits carved out a distinct, idiosyncratic niche. Though originally self-released as a cassette, “Ei kahetse midagi” has gained greater attention through the years as the band’s stature has risen, resulting in more than 10 additional reissues on various formats. And for good reason. From the first track, this album is captivating, rich in texture and atmosphere, and operating with an intellectual depth and emotional valence far beyond many of the band’s peers. The eight tracks on this album are compositionally dynamic and epic in scope. Loits demonstrate a penchant for seamless shifts in mood—furious blast-beat driven riffs suffused with lilting melodies deftly adjoined with folkish passages and atmospheric segues. On this debut album, Loits draw influence from Norwegian pioneers like Satyricon, Ulver, and In The Woods, but add to that concoction eccentric elements of Masters Hammer and Ved Buens End. But Loits’ sound cannot be captured or described simply by comparison to other bands; there is something very singular about Loits, something deviant and peculiarly Estonian in their sound. Complementing the musical complexity on “Ei kahetse midagi” are the lyrics, laden with poetic expressions of the pride and sorrow of life and war. The band characterized the conceptual intent of the album as “reviving the bonds between modern day man's courage and the ancient events that defined Estonian identity as an ethnos.” Indeed, though delivered in the band’s native Estonian language, the English translations provided in the liner notes demonstrate a remarkably literate and evocative approach to lyrical content that adds further depth to the profound impact of this album.

- J. Campbell